


Red Oni, Blue Oni

by DiscoPierrot



Category: DARLING In The FRANXX (Anime)
Genre: Blood, Body Dysphoria, Body Worship, F/M, Intersex, Non-Consensual Body Modification, Porn With Plot, Porn with Feelings, Sex Change, Transformation, Xenophilia
Language: English
Status: In-Progress
Published: 2019-03-26
Updated: 2019-09-28
Packaged: 2019-12-18 06:56:22
Rating: Explicit
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 4
Words: 17,085
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/18244685
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/DiscoPierrot/pseuds/DiscoPierrot
Summary: Klaxosaur genitalia and body development don't necessarily follow the same rules that human bodies do.Zero Two, being half klaxosaur, has a few assets that don't necessarily fit what humans would think based purely off of stamen and pistil body designations.And, by extension, Hiro's body doesn't any longer either. Not after the third ride.





	1. Chapter 1

**Author's Note:**

> ah, honestly, i'm surprised there aren't that many DinF lewds.
> 
> hm.
> 
> lemme change that real quick by bringing some wild shit into it
> 
> -D.P.

He first notices it when he's taking a bath.

Alone in the bathroom, he's sitting on one of the stools in front of the mirrors, rubbing his body down and freeing himself of the grit and sweat of training to ride their FRANXX. There's steam coming up from the tub nearby and little wisps escape his own skin from where he's bathing himself, no other sounds except the ones he's making. It's calm. Peaceful. Almost meditative.

But as his cloth runs over his chest, he finds it softer than it should be. He pauses, moves the cloth away, and stares at the mirror, blinking.

He doesn't see much just looking at himself. Honestly, he looks the same as always.

Staring for a moment, he raises a hand from his lap. He reaches towards his chest, pauses, fingers curling back like he's not sure about what he's doing. But eventually they touch base, the tips of his fingers pressing against his chest right under his nipple.

Instead of hitting muscle and not going any further like his fingers would've before, the tips push a little into the skin and it gives way to the weight of his hand, like pressing in on a stress ball.

He's soft there. Plush. Maybe a little puffy.

For a moment, Hiro doesn't move, eyes fluttering just barely like he wants to blink rapidly and clear his vision, but he can't stop looking at himself. Eventually though, he blinks with a distant, dull shock. Not moving his gaze from the mirror, the boy pulls his hands away, and instead of his chest, he reaches for other parts of his body. His fingers press on his thighs. There's a little fat as usual, but he touches the muscle there just as he's become accustomed to. Then on his hips. Hit's the bone almost immediately. His stomach. It gives as a stomach would, with a bit of muscle guarding it. His arms. Hmm...he could bear to exercise them a bit more, but they feel the same as always.

There's no real changes. So it doesn't see that he's gaining weight. At least, not anywhere else. There's just some extra plush to his chest...and he has no answers for as to why that is happening.

He swallows thickly and stares at himself, unsure of what to do, floundering in inaction for a good few moments. Staring at the mirror, gazing at his own nipples like he understands them less.

Then, he shakes his head and picks up his wash cloth again, continuing the usual bathing ritual.

Right...he's not sure what's up with that, but maybe his body's just changing a bit. Just like when he grew up from a younger stamen to an older one. He remembers his previous surprise when, as a younger boy, his cock had actually started standing up at times when he hadn't needed to pee. The adults had looked a bit put-off, but from what they told him, that was a normal reaction for stamens at some point in their lives. And now it's just a common event. It must just be something like that.

Yes, just changes with growing. Though, he's not sure if he's seen Goro have something like this...or Mitsuru. Maybe Futoshi did? He was bigger than the rest of them, and his chest sometimes moved, but he has more muscle to him, so his chest doesn't really jiggle or anything... Whatever. It just must be a part of growing. Has to be something like that.

But a little voice at the back of his mind tells him, some part of him that has read book after book on parasite anatomy, that his changes are not following the same path he thought they would.

He ignores that voice for the time being, and dumps a bucket of water over his head to wash off the soap suds clinging to his skin.

 

* * *

 

Darling smells just a little different than before.

Because of her klaxosaur blood, she has heightened senses. Though, it's not just the sense of taste, as she's led the other parasites to believe. Or, well, as they've assumed anyway. She's never once really been asked what she can do, aside from her darling and his ever curious nature. He's seen some of her abilities himself, like when he pushed aside everything else to ride with her a second time.

But yes, he's actually been smelling a little different recently. Where he usually has a heavier scent about him—not that he stinks, like Zorome sometimes does, but that his scent is more raw, more deep, more earthy and human—it appears to be lightening up a little. He smells like cool air and snow has been added to pine trees, or like fresh sheets are drying in the hot summer sun, a combination of clean cotton and grass after rain. And his hair looks a little thicker, too, though that may just be her imagination.

This doesn't keep her from her usual routine of course, hopping onto his lap in the morning for breakfast. She smiles at him in greeting as she makes his food delicious, pouring honey all over it before he can even say a word.

"Good morning, darling~" she croons, ignoring the exasperated sighs around the two of them. The other parasites can suck it, it's her time with her darling.

"A-Ah! G-Good morning!" he greets back, surprisingly more meek, as though they'd just met instead of him having survived more than three rides together. His back bows a little, unconsciously, slouching as his chest starts arching off of her body.

Such an unconscious reaction is indeed suspicious. She hums in consideration, and before he can react, she licks his cheek. When he cries out and tells her to stop, she laughs, but on the inside, she thinks about his taste.

It's danger. It was danger from the beginning, and it still is danger now. But there's also something underlying it.

It's not sweet like Ichigo or a secret like Ikuno. No, something different than that. Something changing. Shifting under his skin. Evolving.

"Hmm...metamorphosis."

"Huh?"

She blinks, realizing that she'd said what she did out loud. Hiro supports her dutifully in his lap as always, looking up at her face with a question in his eyes.

Well, she'd tell him if she understood herself. But she doesn't, not yet.

Maybe she'll lick him some more later and catch on to what it is.

"Hmmm...nothing~! Hey." She reaches over onto a plate and picks up some meat dripping in honey. "You should eat this, too, darling!"

 

* * *

 

"Eight rides." Hachi stares at Code 016's numbers, his arms crossed as he tries to make sense of them. "Some continued hormone fluctuations and a constant high yellow blood count, but nothing else. Any evidence of saurification?"

"None that I've noticed," Nana replies, glancing back over a report she'd made. "There's no evidence of accelerated aging from him despite the yellow blood. No gray hairs, no weakness, no fevers beyond the ones he'd had with the tumor."

"Hmm..."

Hachi isn't one to give any of the parasites special treatment, but at this point, it's required for Code 016. After he had survived the third ride, 016 was marked personally by APE as a special case, and his vitals had to be monitored periodically, usually when they did the FRANXX tests or had to go into battle. And so, such was a part of Hachi's job nowadays. The adults read through the numbers dictating 016's blood levels, body stability, and so forth in the glowing orange text, shifting around different diagrams.

There has to be more to it, of course. While it is a special case that 016 has survived over three sorties with 002, APE is not usually one to take such interest in the affairs of their stamens or pistils lest there's something potentially detrimental or beneficial to their cause in the parasites' actions and development.

Hmm.

"His estrogen and progesterone levels seem to have risen steadily over the past few days, though I'm not completely sure why that is," Nana reports.

"And his yellow blood levels?"

"Continuing to rise. We haven't seen any negative symptoms related to the levels since the tumor that he'd formed, but even that is gone."

"Hmm...are you sure there haven't been any negative defects to 016 since the disappearance of the tumor?"

Nana shakes her head, then looks up at the numbers, concern and worry marring her features. She always seemed to feel more than he did, especially about the parasites. It brought a slight frown to his face. He opens his mouth, contemplating saying as much to her, but then he closes his mouth, deciding against it. The man turns back to the data, gaze searching over it.

"Perhaps we should call Dr. FRANXX. 016's current condition is directly related to 002."

"Well...maybe we should wait before trying to call in on him. There's something we can figure out on our own if we look hard enough..." Nana's head tilts as though changing the angle will let her see something different. "Maybe we're overlooking something obvious."

"If it were obvious, we would've found it already." Without another word from him, he types a message out and sends it to the doctor.

After a few minutes, the two still evaluating the data—though Nana seems generally perturbed during the process—a ringer echoes in the room, the doctor's name popping up with a request to accept a call. Hachi clicks a button on the table, and after a moment of calibration, the doctor appears, sitting in his chair at his own lab, one hand over the other on the top of his cane.

"Good grief. It seems you've run into something with the 'special case', hmmm?" The doctor's eyebrows eyebrows are risen, a tilt of humor to his tone.

"My apologies for bothering you with this, but we're not certain how or why 016 current condition is the way it is. Logically, it doesn't make sense."

"We...were hoping for your professional input," Nana agreed, her arms crossed.

"Yes, yes, I get it." The man waves his hand dismissively, his voice low with boredom. "What exactly are you looking at?"

Hachi tells him the files to reference, and the two watch through the screen as he pulls them up. The man's eyes scan over the information, then narrow.

"Doctor?" Nana begins, but the man holds up a hand then starts opening other files.

The doctor's keen eyes search over the documents, his back straightening from his slight slouch, eyes trailing along the words with an obvious interest.

"Interesting... What have you noticed from him personally?"

"Code 016 hasn't actively exhibited any traits outwardly that would determine any severe change as of yet. That being said, his hormone numbers have been increasingly fluctuating while the yellow blood count stays consistently too high for a human to sustain," Hachi replies.

"Instead of seeing symptoms, it's the lack of them that's caught our attention," Nana continues. "I would think we would see saurification symptoms, but we have yet to see any."

"No... No, I believe you two have." The former parasites frown at the doctor, but he continues. "You've seen some symptoms of _something_ at the very least. For one, you need to think a little less about what you know commonly on stamens and consider it could be something even more unnatural. What's happening here is likely outside of your normal scope of knowledge. The other thing...you'll need to keep a closer eye on 016."

Dr. FRANXX taps on something on his side of the screen, minimizing the reports Hachi and Nana had up to show the one the doctor wants them to see. It shows 016's hormone and blood levels on a specific date, the yellow blood levels through the roof as it seems it always is as of now.

"The third sortie happened, and his yellow blood levels stayed up though everything else began stabilizing."

Another digital report shows up, another graph from a different date. The doctor presses a button and causes a glowing circle to form, allowing him to point at the slight uptick in the data collected from the firth sortie.

"Here, yellow blood levels are still high, and the rise in hormones increased. Yellow blood tends to accelerate the effects of certain hormones since it produces more fat and bone. The testosterone group is one. The estrogen group and progesterone are others." The doctor turns his eyes to Nana. "He had a problem with those latter two when he had the tumor, didn't he?"

In response, the woman's eyes widen. "Right...the tumor indicated he had accelerated levels of certain hormones in his body that he couldn't process, particularly estradiol and progesterone, hormones more common in pistils. With him being a stamen, his body wasn't equipped to process the high amounts of those hormones or the yellow blood...that was what created the tumor."

"But he survived." Dr. FRANXX put a hand to his chin. "And has continued pairing with 002 since then, producing his own supply of yellow blood. His body's equalized itself at a faster rate than what should've been possible. From the records of 016's post-sortie testimony, he went into the third sortie with the tumor, but left with only a scar to show for it. His body resolved the malignant tumor and the hormones that came with it, and thus, found a way to resolve his impending death."

Hachi's eyes narrow at the data, trying to see where the doctor is going with his explanation.

"But, as you both should know, hormones don't just disappear. They went somewhere. And in a body, if it has truly resolved the issue, it's sending those hormones where they should be going. In this specific case, with the hormones involved, that wouldn't be too unnatural in a pistil. But in a stamen..." The doctor put his hand on his chin, looking up towards the ceiling in his office, his eyebrows raising again as he seems to consider something. After a moment, he turns back to the two. "Have either of you noticed any changes to 016's physique since the last battle?"

The two officials give each other a look before turning back to the doctor.

"None that have been noted," Hachi replies.

"He reacts as usual to his exercises," Nana adds. "Other than some slight improvement in strength, we've yet to notice anything physiological.

"You may want to pay closer attention then." The doctor turns his chair around, leaned to one side so they could see his arm supporting his head. "If my theory's correct, the usual saurification process is the least of his problems. I'll be checking in soon to evaluate 016 myself. Do well to watch him until then."

Before the two can ask him anything more, the screen cuts off, and the two are left alone in the glowing room with more questions than answers.


	2. Chapter 2

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> More strange symptoms show up for Hiro. In an effort to keep his development under wraps, he tries to hide his changes.
> 
> That being said, he can't hide from those actively seeking him out.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> happy cinco de mayo
> 
> i wanted to post on may 4th for obvious reasons, but hey, today's good too
> 
> -D.P.

Goro awakes slowly. Groaning under his covers, his body boots up cell by cell until he can't ignore his circadian rhythm anymore. With a quiet yawn, he reaches over to the notch beside his bed and picks up his glasses, slipping them onto his face.

The sun shines brightly into his shared room, a few of the birds from the forest outside singing happy tunes that he still doesn't have the brain power to appreciate. Still, he knows full and well that breakfast will be on the table whether he's there or not, so he manages to get himself up and off his bed. Scratching at his stomach, he yawns again and pulls open the slot in his and Hiro's bedroom wall, revealing well-pressed, nicely folded clothes. Humming under his breath, he picks up the larger set and makes himself busy by pulling them on.

All the while, Hiro doesn't make any move to wake up, breathing steadily and slow in his sleep.

Goro sighs, putting his hands on his hips. "Hey, sleepyhead, don't leave me as the only one waking up. It'll be time for breakfast soon.”

When the boy doesn't respond, he sighs, a smile pulling at his lips. Zipping his suit up the rest of the way, he heads over to the boy's side, and suddenly pauses.

This...this has happened before, hasn't it? Where Hiro wouldn't wake up when called. Back then, the boy had been hiding a tumor on his chest, his body feverish with a sickness he fought his hardest to hide. Even now, most of Squad 13 didn't know how much he'd suffered to be able to ride with Zero Two.

Is this something similar?

"...Hiro? Hiro, are you okay?”

Worried, he puts a hand on Hiro's shoulder and tries moving him, turning him halfway onto his back.

That's what brings the boy to a startling bout of consciousness.

Hiro wakes with a start, eyes wide yet unseeing from his panic. And yet, instead of jumping up to find what was wrong, Hiro curls in on himself and rolls back onto his side, his hands going up and clinging on to the opposite shoulders. His back faces Goro, and the boy breathes heavily for a moment. Then he blinks, and slowly, he turns his head to look back at him, eyes still hazy from being only half-awake.

"...G-Goro?"

Goro's hand is back near his chest, startled from the other's reaction. Even so, hearing Hiro's voice—no tremble, no weakness, only slightly slurred from sleep—calms him down. Sort of, anyway.

"Good...morning."

"...Mornin'. What...what is it?"

"You, ah...weren't waking up. So I tried to shake you and, well. It worked, I guess."

"Ah. Sorry, I, uhm..." Hiro blinks, then looks off to the side, smiling with an embarrassed tilt to the corners of his mouth. "I had a, uh...an unpleasant dream."

Ah. Well. All things considered, he would be surprised if Hiro didn't have the occasional bad dream. Nothing quite out the ordinary.

"Oh. Are you sure you're okay, then?" He leans closer to his friend, watching him resist the urge to turn away further. "Can I get you anything?"

Hiro shakes his head, then smiles in what Goro assumes is an attempt at reassurance. It doesn't quite work, not with the awkward air around him.

"No, you're fine, Goro. I just, uhm...need a little more time. A little more time to wake up."

"Ah, that so? Alright. Well, you know where your clothes are." The taller boy puts his arms behind his head and walks to the door. His hand reaches for the knob, but then he pauses. "...If something else were wrong with you, you'd tell me, right?"

Hiro lets out a little startled noise behind him. "Ah! Uhh, yeah. Yeah, I would."

"So. Nothing's wrong with you right now, right?"

"No, nothing's wrong..."

The taller boy waits for a moment, then nods, humming under his breath. His hand curls around the doorknob and clicks it open just as he hears the bed sheets behind him shift.

"Uhm...Goro, about that time, I—...I'm sorry. Seriously. I'll tell you...or someone. If something was wrong with me."

"Hmm. I'll hold you to that, Mr. Reckless," Goro chuckles, then finally he leaves the room.

Once he's down the hall, he lets his smile drop, his lips pursing.

 

* * *

 

As soon as he sees the door close and hears the whispers of footsteps heading down the hall, Hiro shuffles into a sitting position on his bed. He releases his shoulders and lets the cloth of his night shirt fall against his chest. This time, instead of the usual flatness he'd been accustomed to for a majority of his life, the cloth reveals two small mounds on his chest where they hadn't been present before. His chest is still barely there, but certainly more defined than one would expect on a stamen.

They've gotten bigger since his time in the bath those days before.

The plush softness has not just expanded, but it's grown outward, the skin there soft and puffy. His nipples are still small, but they seem to have grown a little bigger as well. Not only that either.

He hadn't noticed any changes to his body before, but as the days pass and he checks over himself, his thighs and lower stomach seem a little more padded. His pants, while they do still fit, feel different, like he's filling them in at different angles than before. He finds himself feeling a bit more emotionally compromised, like his body is shifting and rushing through too many things at once and he can't handle it. More than once, he's sequestered himself away from the others to try and deal with the rush of emotions trying to conquer him, because his body, even his own mind, is no longer making sense.

But the last thing he wants to do is disturb the others. They have their own emotional trials to face off against. Just because his body's warring against him now doesn't mean he can just take up all of their attention. He's done enough of that with his moping before he met Zero Two.

Hiro shakes his head, the pats his cheeks, trying to focus. No, he wouldn't become a burden again! Sure, he's sortied with Zero Two several times since the third fight protecting the kiss between plantations, but he still hasn't proven himself worthy of the others yet, not after all those years of failing them and being satisfied with failure. Not yet! So he has to stay determined. Stay vigilant! He'll show them that he can be a useful team member.

Just as he thinks this, his stomach lets out a low rumble that has his cheeks turning red even though no one else is around.

Yes. He'll prove himself worthy of Squad 13's trust. But first. Breakfast.

Hiro slides out of his bed and starts stripping off his night clothes. Hazarding a glance down at himself and seeing his chest makes him nibble at his lip anxiously, but otherwise he folds his clothes up without any complaint. Taking out the new, clean set of clothes, he sticks his feet through the pants and starts zipping up the rest. He wakes up more as he moves, his stomach a good motivation to get him downstairs as soon as he can get there, but as he pulls on his socks, he pauses, eyes caught on his chest again.

The suits that they wear are tight. The day by day uniforms are tailor made for them based on periods of their growth, and they tend to be form-fitting. Their parasite suits are, of course, much more fitting than their uniforms, but still.

He's never really thought about the fit of his day by day uniform until then, where from his current angle, he can just barely see the slight bulges to his chest.

It's just barely. If he hadn't known what to look for, he probably wouldn't have noticed. But he does notice. He does know what's there, and now, seeing his chest press against the fit of his uniform makes him clam up pretty stiffly.

"Oh..."

The boy swallows thickly, his brain starting to succumb again to another one of those strange 'rushes' he'd get, where his mind would go a mile a minute and he'd freeze up out of pure anxiety. The thoughts start flooding him before he can reasonably work through them.

What if the other boys notice? What if the girls notice? What if Zero Two does? What will happen if their caretakers take notice? What if they see him and think he looks weird? What if they laugh? What if it's more prominent than he thinks it is because he sees it from the wrong angle? What if everyone gets disgusted by what his body's doing?

As more fears speak out in his mind, his lungs work harder, unable to breathe. His head throbs with a growing headache and his mouth feels frightfully dry. He feels like he's going to faint a little.

_Pii!!_

Hiro startles, gasping. He hears the ringer again, and realizes what it is, digging into his pocket to fish out his pager.

[Ichigo: Hiro, breakfast is starting! What's taking you so long?]

Right...breakfast. But he has to make sure he's presentable first. If they can see him through his uniform then...

Ah. Wait. Actually...

When the girls are wearing their parasite suits, it's a lot easier to see their bodies. But when they're in their uniforms, he can't. He knows they have breasts just like any other pistil, but their clothes conceal them much more than their suits do. Yeah, the uniforms hide them just fine.

The boys' uniforms should do the same, right? He shouldn't actually be able to see himself. At least, he hopes not... But just to be sure, Hiro gets up and cautiously opens the bedroom door. He looks to the left, then the right, and sees no one. With his privacy assured, he scurries over to the toilet, where one of the biggest mirrors in the building are. Quiet as a mouse, he quickly and carefully makes his way there, feeling almost like a criminal with how secretive he feels he needs to be. It's almost like finding a haven when he sees the dark wood of the toilet door, his shoulders sagging a little with relief.

When he enters, he turns on the light and stands in front of the mirror. For a moment, everything washes out with the turquoise tile on the walls, tinting everything a bluish green. But it doesn't last, and soon everything is the color it should be. When he's sure it is, he steps in front of one of the mirrors, staring straight at his chest.

He can't see anything now.

With his eyes still trained there, he twists to the left, then to the right. Raises his arms and lowers them. Tilts his torso to the left and right as well. Through each motion, he could feel his clothes rubbing up against him, making him feel a bit off, but as far as seeing...his...as far as seeing his chest, no. He doesn't see a single indication of the plushness at his chest, even though his suit is indeed fitting him differently. Maybe he was thinking a bit too much earlier...

Hiro shakes his head, then steps forward and turns on the faucet. Once the water's a bit cool, he splashes his face with it once, then twice, and shakes his head to rid his face of the bigger droplets. With his eyes closed, he turns off the faucet, then wipes his hands over his face.

"I'm okay...this is fine. I'm fine." He pats his face again, then stares at his reflection, demanding his mind to obey him.

"I'm fine."

 

* * *

 

He's not fine.

He's _very_ not fine.

Right after breakfast, with Zero Two taking up half of his seat with her mischievous smiles and feeding habits, Squad 13 had been called down to the meeting room. There was another klaxosaur attack near one of the plantation mines, and they were tasked with clearing the creatures out. The team collectively was eager to get going, reading to bring down the klaxosaurs to protect the home that they love so much. They had quickly rushed over to their changing rooms and started preparing.

Then, just as Hiro started removing his uniform, he remembered the parasite suit and its thin, form-fitting material. The way it clings to every single hill and crevice he has. It's meant to be breathable and flexible, which it is, but it would also plainly put his increasingly strange condition on display.

For a moment, he nearly panicked again. There was no way the others wouldn't notice that something's wrong with him if he wears the suit! They'll call him out on it immediately—especially Zorome! As much as he appreciates the boy, he can't keep quiet about a single daggom thing!

But then it occurred to him. The boys have a chest plate. It completely covers their chests with protective and sensory gear. With it being of a harder material, there was no way his chest would show through it. With that in mind, Hiro had sighed with relief and started unzipping his uniform, listening to the other boys talk about the girls, killing klaxosaurs, and Zorome in particular was still rather fascinated about protecting and receiving praise from the adults. Personally, all Hiro's interested in is riding with Zero Two again, flying with her again and protecting his friends.

It isn't until he feels a hand on his bare back that he's hit with the sharp alarm that he really, really needs to get into his suit now. The chest plate isn't on until he changes into it, after all.

Gasping under his breath, he crosses his arms across his chest to hide it from the others just as Zorome leans in, grinning like a gremlin.

"You know, since you survived riding with Zero Two and all, do you think maybe that 'rider killer' thing is done with? Not that it's not great riding with Miku, but I still really want to try!"

Hiro plasters on a smile, one hand reaching out from his crossed arms to pat as inconspicuously as possible inside the open locker in front of him for the little black top that the boys have to wear under the chest plate. "Well...I-I don't really know. I mean, you could probably ask her."

"I already tried that...she just keeps rubbing honey into my clothes." Zorome backs up from him and pouts, pushing his bottom lip out. "Do you know how hard it is to get honey out of clothes?!"

"Don't the adults just clean the honey for you though?" Futoshi asks somewhere behind them, a ruffle of cloth accompanying his question.

Zorome turns his head away, griping at the boy. "Well, _yeah_ but—"

Hiro doesn't wait to hear what he says. Instead, his eyes lock onto the under-plug suit top and quickly slips it on as fas as he can manage. Once he's sure his chest is covered, a little part of him relaxes, and he shifts the top until the little orange sensors are in the right place. He doesn't have the bottoms on yet, but that's not his main concern. He still has a penis as always, even if his hips are a little more padded. It's not enough to tell a difference like he's sure his chest is.

In fact, even with the top of the undersuit on, he's not sure it's enough.

When he looks down at himself, he doesn't see anything. His chest looks as flat as ever. And yet...

He's almost certain he can. Paranoia whispers into his ears that the other boys are looking at him out of the corners of their eyes, thinking that he looks strange, that he looks unnatural, that they'll talk about him behind his back, gossip about him to the girls. Maybe they'll even tell Nana and Hachi about what he looks like. Then they'll get on his case too and—

Without really thinking, his gaze shoots up from his chest over to Goro, trying to hide his anxiety.

Goro is wiping off his glasses, a frown on his face at a smudge he can't seem to get out. He licks his finger, wipes it on the lens, and starts cleaning at it again. That makes Hiro's shoulders start to relax, and upon hearing some noise to his right, he turns to look at the rest of the room.

Zorome's arguing with Futoshi, something about honey and clothing and the adults. While Zorome's up in the big boy's face, Futoshi looks as amused as ever in that kind and brotherly-teasing way, a smile turning his cheeks a little pink at the tops. Mitsuru has his eyebrows raised at them in a mix of wonder and pure exasperation, as though he's having a hard time fathoming their stupidity. Zorome hisses and punches at Futoshi, but from the lack of sound and the way the bigger boy laughs, Hiro can tell it's all just fun and games anyway.

Hiro relaxes completely, smiling at his own stupidity. Yet again he'd let himself get caught up in his own head...

That smile quickly sours, and a frown begins to mar his face. Trying not to let the others see, he turns back around and starts taking his uniform off the rest of the way.

He really hopes that this stops. All this worrying and tiptoeing and anxiety. If he lets himself get carried away so easily, how could he ever be an effective member of the team?

No, enough of all of this.

No matter what his body's going through, it doesn't matter so much, Hiro decides. Because, in the end, what matters most is that he's a useful member of the team. He can do that, at least.

He slides into the tight-fitting shorts and hums, satisfied.

"Hey, Goro, I'm going to go ahead and get suited up," he says, turning to go further into the changing room.

"Ah, okay, gotcha."

Hiro hums again, the rest of his worry finally flaking off.

See? Everything's just like normal. Nothing to worry about.

 

* * *

 

 

"The sensors are starting to pick up some changes, just like you predicted, Doctor," Nana says, pulling up the scan results.

While Hachi focuses on the battle at hand, Nana, per the doctor's orders, relays what she's found from the studies on Hiro. 

The scan results Nana pulls up shows four body scans, all taken during the suiting time. The suits are made to conform to their bodies as they grow, so the growth is always monitored to ensure that their stamens and pistils are developing healthily. It's part of the reason the parasites are told to stand as still as possible during suiting.

The first scan is of Hiro before he ever rode with Zero Two. It's a little smaller than the other scans due to him being a little younger. The second, is during his time with the tumor, a strange mass on the left side of his chest marked with red, different from the glowing orange of the rest of the body. The third is of the time after the tumor disappeared, showing Hiro as a healthy young stamen.

The fourth, however, marked some slight alert areas that had been growing and were starting to come to fruition.

This scan shows a slight widening at the hips. Very slight, nearly imperceptible by the human eye, but very dutifully noted by their sensors. The same with the slight growth at his chest, more noticeable than the hips, but one could potentially blink and lose sight of it.

When Nana had seen the development, she'd been a little stricken by shock. She'd seen this kind of development before.

But in pistils.

The doctor hums at the scans, turning the 3-D diagrams to their sides to compare the side view. The small growth of breasts is more prominent that way. The doctor presses a button on his side, and a few more results show up, including a little purple circle marking the parasite's center of gravity. Early on, through the first to third scans, the center is above his navel. At the fourth scan, the purple dot has shifted lower, on the navel instead of above it, starting to make a journey towards the hips area, where the center of gravity tends to reside for pistils.

"I see. Has this affected his battle ability in any way?" the doctor asks, glancing over to Hachi.

"No difference from my perspective," the immortal man replies, tapping a button to set an orange glow around the connection stats between Hiro and Zero Two. Nana watches the lines shift a little, but they never fully falter, always fluttering around the same numbers of connectivity. "If anything, I would say it's possible his ability with 002 has increased since the changes began. But again, the change is not drastic enough for a full report."  
  
"It's not," the doctor says, rubbing at his chin, "but I do still have some tests in mind. The only FRANXX you have there are the training bots and the specialized ones, correct? Hmm..."

"Doctor, if you don't mind me asking," Nana begins, turning towards the screen with worry clear in her green gaze. "What exactly are you planning?"

He glances down at her, his mechanical eye gleaming. "Nothing that will harm 016. He's currently too important to allow too much stress to fall on him. However...to test what I need to, I'll likely need to bring a common FRANXX with me. If not, then the testing room will be fine... Tell me, Nana, are any of your parasites disposable?"

The woman pauses, then her face scrunches with outrage. "Wh-What are you saying, doctor? Of course none of them are! They've spent all of this time partnering and—we can't—what are you planning that would be so dangerous to them?!"

"A ride."

The anger fades from her in her confusion, but only a little. She crosses her arms in disdain. "What ride?"

"If what I'm thinking is correct, then 002, the partner killer, may not be the only one anymore." The doctor hums and strokes his beard. "While I created her, her disposition led her to treating her partners poorly. Still, killing them after the third ride wasn't completely something that was a will of her own. No, in fact, a part of it is simply due to her klaxosaur blood."

Nana's anger fades further as the science of it starts to bring some understanding. "...Because of the inequality, correct? The inequality between parasite blood and klaxosaur blood. When in the FRANXX, the stamen and pistil give a part of each other for the connection. Mind, body, and soul...the stamens and pistils must have over 50% aptitude with each other for the FRANXX to even move. So, as a parasite with klaxosaur blood, she had more demands, hence why the yellow blood count in her stamens would increase each sortie. She needs more yellow blood."

"Correct. 002 usually demanded nearly 100% while she only gave a fraction of that, hence why the stamens given to her rarely lasted. They couldn't keep up with her demands and they couldn't keep up with her intrinsic bodily needs. And in 016's case, his failure to ride with 703 was because he would give nearly 0%. Though, just as 002 cannot fully control how much she would take—"

"Your assumption is that 016 cannot control how much he can give," Nana finishes. 

The doctor's eyebrows scrunch, then he sighs, shaking his head. "No, that's not at all what I'm thinking. Only speak when you're actually saying something wise, would you?"

"A-Ahh...y-yes. My apologies."

"What I was going to say was that 016 is in the  _exact_ same boat as 002. Just as she demands a higher aptitude, 016 does as well, just unconsciously. Just as 002 would consume her stamens at little to no control of her own, 016 would do the exact same thing. The difference is in intent. 002 doesn't know she demands more from the connection, but she demands it both consciously and subconsciously. However 016, very consciously asks little of his pistils, correct?"

Nana nods in reply, still a bit too embarrassed to speak.

"Would it be wrong to say that 016 is rather considerate of any pistil he's attempting to operate with? That the last thing he wants is for harm to befall them?"

Nana begins to nod again, but she pauses. Then her eyes widen a little, and without thinking, she speaks.

"He's unconsciously neutering himself."

"There. _Finally_ you're on the right page." The man supports his head with his hand, an elbow on his armrest. "The problem that had existed before with 016 was not that he wasn't giving it his all to connect. It was that he  _couldn't_ give his all, lest he consume his pistil. While he personally didn't know that, I believe he unconsciously did."

"But...but Hiro's aptitude fell a long time ago, when he was younger. Back when he was still in the Garden."

The doctor stares down at her with a considering look on his face. Eventually, he makes his decision, moving his head off his hand to wave it dismissively.

"You've seen the markers in 002's and 016's files before. While it's not explicitly stated word-for-word, 002 and 016 have met before." He continues despite the shocked look on her face. "The memories they made together wouldn't have made them any more effective at their duties, so I decided to have them erased. But at that time they'd been together, it seems they exchanged blood, or rather, that 016 took in some of 002's blood, polluting his own. 002's blood has been germinating within his body all this time, and he's grown an adaptive coexistence with it. The tumor likely disappeared due to this—the assimilation of similar cells to the ones he already had."

Nana stands, small in the sight of the screen, absolutely speechless.

"He's had his own klaxosaur blood develop in his body. From that point on, it's likely his body must have unconsciously been desiring the exact same thing that 002's was. The unconscious desire for more than what a human could provide combined with the conscious and unconscious desire to help rather than hurt...it must have left 016 at a standstill, hence his unconscious self-neutering." The doctor's eyebrows raise. "But, now, he's producing his own supply of yellow blood, enough that even 002 is sated by him, all thanks to the packet of hormones she gave him. The two have effectively made the exchange needed, and now they pilot together, much as any other stamen and pistil."  
  
As the doctor says this, the screens in front of Hachi display their parasites' victorious expressions, having finally defeated the klaxosaurs threatening them. Hiro's smile is among them, leaning forward in his seat to openly praise Zero Two, who grins back at him in reply.

"So then...what do you want to know?" Nana asks.  
  
The doctor hums. Then leans forward.

"I want to see if, with that changing body of his, he can sate himself. If, perhaps, he could pilot with anyone else, or even, alone. He's developing both stamen and pistil qualities in one body. Could he potentially sate the necessity himself? That's what I wonder the most." There's a tilt of a smile to the old man's voice, an eagerness that she's heard before. Usually in reference to 002. "If, perhaps, a development like that could reduce the need for stamens and pistils into single body. It would be more resourceful, wouldn't it? To have fewer parasites."

Nana, sweating a little at her temples, turns to look at the other screens as the parasites head back to the base, their FRANXXs gliding across the ground like figure skaters. Zorome's face is screwed up in a frown as he and Miku bicker over something, but the others seem to view this with mostly a level of humor. Nana personally thinks it's heartwarming.

"I...I suppose?"

"You suppose, hmm...either way, I'll be arriving soon. APE needs me to test something else out for them, but I'm sure I can shove it off eventually. This, after all, takes much more precedence."

His screen shuts off after that, leaving Nana alone in the resulting dimness. She doesn't realize how long she's standing there until Hachi comes closer, startling her out of her daze.

"The parasites will be back in soon."

Huh...oh, right. She's a leader. If they think something is wrong with her, the squad will be concerned.

She pats her face, trying to rid herself of the worry, then straightens up. The green of her steeling eyes meets the pale slate brown of his own.

"Right, of course. Thank you."

Hachi nods in return, and the two begin walking out to greet the squad back.

Yes, she's worried, but she can't let it get to her. She has a duty she needs to fulfill, and she won't be able to do it being emotional over it all. No, she has to be vigilant for their sake. That's just how it is.

After all, the doctor hastily cobbled the squad together himself. He wouldn't do anything to harm them unnecessarily.

He wouldn't.

 

* * *

 

 

Goro's pretty sure he saw something he shouldn't have.

He doesn't want to make it obvious, no, but he has...questions.

As the boys shower, the hot steam clouding his vision, the boys quipping playfully with each other, Goro thinks of Hiro.

He wasn't supposed to look. Or, rather, he's looked all the time before. There's never been a problem with them looking at each other's bodies to a large extent, well, in their selective groups of course. Boys can look at boys and girls can look at girls. They can also look at each other, between boys and girls, just not while naked. That's the way Goro understands it. So it's never been a problem for him to see another boy's chest.

But when he'd glanced over earlier that day, before they sortied, he was sure he...

No...

No, maybe it was a trick of his glasses, that's why he'd cleaned them. A smudge. Something distorting his vision.

Hiro's chest was not...is not, you know...like  _that_.

He glances at the wall, the single thing between him and Hiro at the moment. The hot water sends puffs of steam up into the air as they clean their grime and sweat.

As an afterthought, he picks up his glasses and lets them be cleaned under the shower water.


	3. Chapter 3

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> APE decides that some tests are in order.
> 
> Goro, curious after what happened the other day, says enough to Hiro to get him to speak.
> 
> Hiro gets his first taste of what the others may think about his condition.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> my computer is still broken and my thumbs hurt from using the phone
> 
> but sacrifices must be made
> 
> -D.P.

In a bright room surrounded by diagrams and videos and views of the blue sky outside, the Seven Sages convene in their holograph forms, discussing the development of Dr. FRANXX's pet project squad. In particular, their sights are set on Code 016, who has continued to deviate from the norm that they based their prospects on.

"The special specimen seems to be showing further developments outside of what we deemed normal," Marmoset hums, looking at the present data.

"The similarities between 016 and 002 are becoming biological? This is unprecedented," Gorilla says. "Yet, their aptitude numbers stay constantly positive."

"Biological similarities between the two...it sounds disgusting, but perhaps this could be another key," Tarsier says. "Another possibility into wielding Hringhorni."

"We have centered our energies on 002, why should we change that now?" Lemur asks, looking over to Tarsier.

"It's not so much that we change where we center our energies. Simply put, the special specimen could be the back-up key if all else fails," Baboon interjects. "A fail-safe, if you will."

"Exactly. And with a few tests, we can ensure that the special specimen can become an efficient fail-safe."

"It will mean we won't have to rely so heavily on that beastly girl."

"Isn't 016 easier to control? Perhaps this can work better for us in the end."

"But think about it. Biological similarities in a stamen with a pistil. How does that even occur? What disgusting thing has grown in Squad 13?"

"The special specimen has always been a bit testy. He is easier to control now, but with the wrong influences, he could become a liability."

"I'm not talking about behavior, I'm talking about his body's development. What kind of alien creature is he...is _it_ becoming?"

"Is he not like 002 at this point? A human with klaxosaur blood. It likely means he'll have the same sort of unnatural body development that she does."

"How horrendous."

"But she is still our greatest success. Perhaps 016 could be an evolution of that experiment."

Papa raises his hands then, and the others go silent.

"I do believe that this could benefit us greatly in the end. 016's biological discrepancies aside, Baboon made a very astute point. A fail-safe in this war cannot be overlooked. As such, I give my approval to Dr. FRANXX's request for further testing. If nothing else, studying 016's developments could give us a greater insight into the functionality of the klaxosaurs than even 002 does."

The others consider it, and they also begin to agree, nodding and saying so affirmatively. After all, even if they didn't agree, Papa has already given his approval. Whilst they are all a group, Papa's word is law.

 

* * *

 

A few days have passed since Goro first thought he was seeing things, and since then, he's been watching the boy closely.

And now, he's almost certain that he wasn't, that something else really is going on.

He watches how Hiro shies away from too much attention. How he seems to hunch in on himself at times and stay closer to the sidelines. He remembers the boy he grew up with—always front and center. The fact he's a far cry from himself can't be contributed to not being a good stamen anymore, so it has to be something else. He wasn't even this reclusive when he had that strange, pulsing tumor on his chest.

But Goro doesn't say anything for a while, watching as Hiro's efforts to hide himself grow further. He's even watched for a bit too long—at breakfast, as he eyed the boy across from him, staring at his chest like what he thought he saw back then would suddenly reappear, he'd looked up to find Zero Two staring right back at him with her turquoise gaze, humming with an obvious curiosity in her eyes. Luckily, it only took a little smiling and waving off for the girl to return her attention to her darling. But it certainly was a close call—Zero Two doesn't usually care for discretion.

He's careful, watchful, cautious, and he never comes any closer to an actual conclusion to his suspicions.

There was no asking Hiro about it either. Too many ears everywhere, too many chatty, teenage mouths for Hiro to ever think of saying a single thing about whatever strangeness may have taken on in his body yet again.

Until now.

He and Hiro had been called down to one of the lower levels to discuss their persistently high connectivity numbers. The meeting had been less of a discussion and more of a praise session, something to keep the two of them doing well. Which, of course Goro would keep doing his best. While his thoughts about the adults were shifting different ways, he'd always protect Ichigo and all of his friends. Hiro seemed much the same, happy for their praise but not being overjoyed by it like he probably would've just a month or two before. He looked a bit more tired, his smile muted by his own worries over...whatever has been going on.

But that's why now is his chance.

On their way back up the elevator to Mistilteinn, Goro plots as he usually does. While he doesn't really want to manipulate Hiro into giving him an answer, if he doesn't, the boy's more likely to suddenly die in his sleep than tell anyone if something's wrong with him. The two of them barely say a word to each other, just humming silently or staring at the city where the adults reside, a place they've yet to personally walk through.

Then the elevator dings, and the door open. The bridge leads past the trees and glistening water, the roof of their house visible in the distance.

They're walking on the bridge when he finally decides to speak, birds singing little songs around them.

"Hey, Hiro, it sounds like you're doing well with Zero Two, huh?"

Hiro blinks, like he's startled out of his thoughts. "Oh? Ah, yeah. She's great to ride with." A genuine smile smooths onto his face, making Goro actual give one as well. "She can be a bit rowdy, but you already know that. I like that the most about her."

"Hahaha, what was it you said she said when she licked you?"

"Something about 'danger'."

"Yeah, I guess you'd like her then," Goro teases, making Hiro laugh.

But it's muted still. Even though he's smiling genuinely, whatever is going on with him won't allow him to truly be outside of his shell. The corner of Goro's mouth twitches before he faces forward again and puts his hands on his hips, the two of them still heading forwards. Goro looks away from him, straight towards their shared destination.

"Mmh...but it seems everything's fine with you, huh?"

"...Hmm?"

"You know...I've been thinking. You've been acting a little weird the past few days," Goro hums. "But, well, I guess everything's fine. I'm being paranoid in the end."

He just barely hears Hiro suck in a breath. "...Ah, yeah. I've been fine. What...what had you worried?"

Goro shrugs. "Honestly, just you pulling away. It’s felt like that. Ichigo's mentioned it off-hand, too. I told her that you promised to tell someone if something was wrong with you, though."

The thing is, Ichigo really has asked about him after breakfast once, pulling him off to the side and saying, word for word, that since the two room together that surely Goro would notice something. And Goro really has said that Hiro would tell them. The only difference between what Goro says now and what actually happened is that Goro doesn't mention the absolutely disbelieving look on the girl's face. She knows just as well as he does that Hiro would rather die a silent, private death, like a lone wolf leaving his pack to pass on.

"She accepts that. She trusts you." Goro turns and gives Hiro a quick smile before turning back. "I do, too. So if anything really is wrong, I'm sure you'll tell someone."

Hiro doesn't reply, and Goro doesn't comment on it. Instead, he keeps going, hoping that something he's saying will break through that thick skull of his.

"We all care about each other, even though we don't act like it sometimes."

"Y...eah. We do."

"Hehe...guess you could say it's a sibling thing, hmm?"

Hiro goes quiet again, and Goro runs out of things to say. He sighs under his breath and puts his hands behind his head, continuing forward.

Well...this time bombed. One of his few chances to speak with the boy alone...and maybe, just maybe, Hiro may reach out to him still, but they're getting close to the edge of the bridge now, and from then on—

But just as he thinks this, a hand curls into the back of his suit.

He stops, blinking, then turns around to look at the other boy.

Hiro's not looking at him. He can't seem to bring himself to. Instead, he's staring down at the ground with eyes swimming with indecision, his hand still curled tightly into his clothes. His lips stretch tightly to the sides, and his teeth clench under his cheeks. He looks...almost like he's in pain. Goro turns around to face him, the hand dislodging.

"Hey...Hey, Hiro, do you need to—"

The indecision hardens into resolve in a split second, and Hiro's blue eyes snap up from the ground, bearing into his own olive-green. It's almost enough to make Goro step back.

"...C...Come with me."

Hiro doesn't wait for his reply, grasping his wrist and dragging his stumbling, taller body off the bridge the rest of the way. Hiro takes a sharp left turn, tugging him off into the trees instead of getting any closer to the home building.

They travel through bushes and past trees, under canopies and over little insect communities, Goro ducking his head under branches and avoiding tripping on roots.

"H-Hiro—"

But Hiro's striding through the plants with practiced ease, barely disturbing a single thing. His steps are slick, smooth, practiced. He's come this way before.

After a moment, once they're deep enough that there's no trace of the trail to the house, Hiro lets go of his wrist and stands still in the small clearing. Goro hisses a little under his breath and rubs at the wrist the boy had been holding. A good look at it reveals a slight bruise there, but he also notes the feeling of sweat, his skin warm and clammy where the boy had been holding onto him. His eyes trail up to the boy, where he's just standing faced away from him, Hiro's fingers pressing into his elbows.

"...Hiro..."

The smaller boy visibly breathes in deeply, letting it out in a long, drawn huff.

"...You have to promise me you won't tell anyone."

Goro's fists clench. "Again?"

"Yes, again."

The taller boy's eyes narrow, his shoulders stiffening. "How bad is it this time? How bad, that you don't want me to tell anyone again?"

"It's...it's not. It's not bad."

"Then why have you been hiding this from us? Something's wrong with you _again_ , and you've hidden it from us, _again_. Do you not trust us or something?"

"No, it's...it's not that." Hiro turns to face him slowly, and suddenly Goro sees it. It's very real, swirling in his eyes and affecting their color. Bright and dim all at the same time.

It's fear.

Hiro hasn't ever really looked fearful, not that Goro recalls. Even at the threat of dying at Zero Two's hands, he never looked so afraid. And yet now, whatever is wrong with him, whatever is supposedly not as serious as dying from a tumor, has the boy scared. And somehow, it's that fact that calms Goro. He realizes now that, while Hiro has been stubborn, he's also been genuinely afraid, genuinely unsure of what he's doing or what's going on. It's not just stubbornness...it's not that he doesn't trust the others. He just doesn't know what he's doing.

That's scary, but that's also unbelievably relieving.

"Okay...okay. Okay, I get it," Goro says, raising his hands placatingly. "I was going a bit too far...I'm sorry."

Hiro shakes his head. "I can understand...why you'd think what you did. But I promise. It's not because I don't trust you. It's just..." The boy's lips purse tightly, and he draws his lower one into his mouth. "I just...don't want you to...think this is weird. Or that I'm...I don't...I don't know. I just need you to not tell anyone right now."

Goro thinks for a moment before nodding in agreement, but Hiro looks him straight in the eye again.

"I mean it. Promise me. You can't tell anyone, not even Ichigo."

"That's...gonna be tough," Goro cringes. But Hiro glares, as in, he actually puts a firm expression of anger on his face, and Goro's not sure what to feel about it. Hiro's been so emotionless since whatever happened in the Garden that he's sort of forgotten what an expressive Hiro is like. And yet, one is right in front of him. From fear to anger to insecurity, all of that is suddenly in front of him, and he's suddenly discombobulated by it.

"Yeah, okay, I...I won't tell Ichigo. Or anyone else. I promise."

Hiro stares for a moment longer before he deems Goro trustworthy and sighs. He then walks closer and bends his knees, getting down onto the ground and criss-crossing his legs. Goro follows after a moment later and settles on the ground with him. They're close to each other, enough that their knees could possibly touch if they moved too much.

The boy glances at him again, and his hand reaches up to the zipper of his suit top.

"You're absolutely sure you won't say anything?" Hiro asks.

Gosh, why is he asking so many times?

"Yeah, I'm sure. I'm sure, okay? I won't...I won't say anything. I promise," Goro says, hoping this will finally placate him.

Hiro stares at him for another good moment before he seems to settle in his decision. Then, he’s tugging on the waist of his suit to straighten it out while sitting, and his other hand reaches up to grab the zipper.

”No telling anyone,” Hiro demands again.

Goro sweats, because seriously, he’s actually starting to get kind of scared. Hiro keeps asking like there’s going to be a hole in his chest this time or something, like his ribcage has collapsed onwards or outwards or however other unnatural ways it could. It has to be serious if even Hiro is being this anal about it.

”N...No telling.”

The zipper makes a slight noise, like a bumble bee’s wings, as Hiro slowly drags it down until it’s about below his ribcage. He hand pauses there, and Hiro swallows thickly.

Then, he begins to pull the lapels open and show his chest.

Immediately, Goro searches for the problem, like a rib broken through the skin or another tumor, only larger and pulsing even more than the one before. But instead, he sees a smooth expanse of skin, the left side of his chest scarred over from where the tumor used to be. 

Yet, other than that, there doesn't look to be anything wrong...

Except...the scar is displaced. It’s sitting more forward...well, part of it is. Like a dry patch of grass going up a hill, leaving its mark on the ground. And the same strange sort of “displacement” is on the other side, too. Twin mounds barely hidden by the cloth of his clothes...

Twin... 

Breasts.

Those...those are...

Those are breasts. Just blatantly so. As in, he’s seen what he can of Ichigo’s through her plug suit—well he’s seen all the girls’ bodies in their plug suits, but Ichigo has always stood out for him—so he knows what breasts look like. Mostly. Those look like he imagined they would without any clothes covering them. He just can’t see the nipples because— 

"Uhm."

Goro blinks, knocking himself out of his daze, his face feeling warm. Another blink, and his eyes meet Hiro’s.

Hiro, for what it's worth, looks like he's trying to be as blank-faced as he usually is on a normal day. Instead, his cheeks are blotchy with a blush, and he looks positively as miserable as he possibly can. Quickly, even without thinking to zip his top back up, Hiro's knees knock against his as he turns his body to the side, his chest away from view with his arms crossed over it.

"Don't...stare so much."

Goro's face goes a bit more red himself, hands raising and waving placatingly. "N-No! I wasn't trying to stare, sorry! I just...uh..." His gaze trails back downwards. "It's just...sudden."

"Sudden?"

"I mean, like...I was kind of expecting...I don't know. Another tumor, something else deadly, for you to tell me you were going to pass on because a leech stuck on you. Something. Not...you're turning into a girl."

"I'm...I'm not though."

Goro frowns a little. "But you...you have, uh..."

Hiro's face scrunches in return, and he lets one of his hands down to support his weight on the ground. His chest just barely moves with the shift in his weight, and Goro looks away.

"I'm not turning into a girl. I mean, I know I have...this...going on right now, but. Still. I barely feel any different. Mentally, I mean."

Goro still can't bring himself to meet Hiro's eyes for the moment, knowing good and well he'll just end up looking downwards again. Instead, he finds a very interesting branch and keeps his gaze on it.

"Girls aren't really that different from us mentally, you know."

"Yeah, I get that, but, I'm still a guy. I still have a penis so..."

The taller boy blinks and tilts his head at the branch, his face twisting with the effort of imagining what those two particular parts of supposedly opposite body types look like together. He's not sure if he likes what he's imagining, but, well, that's what's sitting in front of him anyway.

"But if you have both, what does that make you?""

"I...I don't know."

When Goro's gaze turns Hiro's way, he sees the confusion and slight hurt on his expression, blue eyes dim with confusion.

"I don't know what all of this makes me, but I still feel like a boy." Some of the confusion clears from him. "And...and I can still pilot. I've been acting as Zero Two's stamen this whole time, and it's worked out fine. So I have to still be a boy. Right? I mean, just based off of that for now..."

"Yeah, I see your point. None of the girls can pilot, so if you still can, that makes you a boy. But that doesn't really..." Goro winces. "...feel accurate."

Hiro sighs and starts zipping his top back up. Goro catches one last peek of the puffs to the boy's chest before they're hidden from sight. Even though they're under the clothes now though, just the awareness that they're there makes little blooms of red dust his cheeks.

"I know what you mean. It's...not really. But it's the best I have to go off of." Hiro nods, then looks straight at Goro. "I'm still a boy."

It's not a question. Or, at least, it's not worded like one. Hiro sounds certain in his words, making a statement that should be unquestioned.

But at the same time, it's more of a question than anything Hiro's asked him before. A request to agreement. A desire for validation.

It's...a strange thing he knows now. And a part of him still hasn't quite processed what's going on. The fact his gaze keeps dipping back down to the boy's chest just to see if he'd been imagining it again is a testament to that. But those questions he has, like how riding with Zero Two could cause such a thing, how Hiro managed to keep attention off of him long enough that not even the adults were questioning him, why he hadn't said anything about it...those can wait. They'll have to wait for now. Hiro's already put his open heart out on the table, something he hasn't done in a long time. Goro doesn't want to kick the beating thing when it's finally offered to him after several years of radio silence and dim-eyed stares where there used to be brightness and vitality.

Strangely enough, with those breasts of his, he looks more like he did in the Garden now than he has for years.

So Goro smiles and nods. Agrees. Validates.

Because boy or not or whatever he is, Hiro's becoming Hiro again.

"Yeah, you're a boy."

At first, Hiro breaths in sharply. Then he sighs out, long and tired, shoulders dropping from a defensive stance Goro's just now noticing. And a small smiles spreads on the smaller boy's face.

"...Thank you."

 

* * *

 

They talk on the way back to the house.

It's comfortable, on the quiet side, full of whispers and small bouts of laughter.

Hiro talks about his escapades, attempting to avoid detection, even hiding under covers from Zero Two of all people. He hums and laughs and tells Goro how relieved he is.

How happy he is that Goro's okay with what's going on, how he wasn't scared— _disgusted is the word Hiro barely says before switching it_.

And Goro finds himself hanging on every word, just like he did as a kid.

There's a light about Hiro again. Like his skin isn't as pale and he has more pep to himself. 

It's...very comfortable.

Comfortable and enjoyable enough that, later in the day, as he reads a book in the dimly sunlit study at a small, empty wooden table and sees Ichigo approach, he doesn't panic.

"Hey," the girl greets, her hands in her pockets, her green eyes just as pretty as always.

"Hi," Goro smiles in return.

Ichigo's head bows a little in that way she always does when she's trying to hide her face, just for a moment. Then she steels it into the firm ordinance of a team leader, gaze solid and posture demanding. And yet, Goro still knows she hid a smile.

"So, you and Hiro took a while. Is it okay to tell me what that was about?" she asks, then, she pulls out the chair on the other side of the table. She holds the back of her skirt as she sits, making sure it doesn't get needlessly bent. It's somehow such a pretty gesture.

"Ah, no, it's fine. Nana and Hachi just wanted to go over our resonating numbers again."

Ichigo frowns. “Really?”

”Yeah,” Goro smiles. “Our numbers have risen again. You’re proving your leadership, and Hiro and Zero Two still have a high sync level.”

”Higher than ours, anyway,” Ichigo hums,  loping away with a slight glare. Right...she and Zero Two aren’t exactly buddies, after all. And if she were to find out about Hiro’s changes and why they were happening...

Goro sighs and shrugs, closing the book. “It wasn’t much but a discussion and some praise. I can tell you specifics if you want...ah, well, there is some activities Nana thinks will help improve our sync levels. I think she wants us to try those out. Something about dancing in sync?”

Ichigo blinks, but tilts her head with interest. “Dancing?”

Goro nods, then starts going down the activity with her. Because as comfortable as it is now, there's no way it would last if the others knew.

Hiro was right.

What's known between them should stay a secret for now. At least, until they find a way to reverse it, if there is a way.

After they talk a bit more, Ichigo finally drops the questioning and joins him in a silent reading session, the two friends even without conversation.

And while Ichigo reads about the animals of the world, Goro looks in an anatomy book and hopes to find a cure, despite a little nagging word at the back of his head.

A single word, tugging at his brain strings and telling him he's being stupid.

A word called  _permanence_.

 

* * *

 

Now that Goro knows, things are...complicated...he figures he can do his part to help Hiro out, to help him feel a little more comfortable.

He’s not sure he can do much, but he tries.

The next morning, he doesn’t dawdle around Hiro to wake him up, leaving the room and sending messages over the pager until Hiro responds with sleepy misspellings.

He doesn’t bring attention to Hiro as much as he can, and he doesn’t stare at his chest, no matter if he’s tempted to or not.

And during a suit-up, Goro makes sure to take up more attention than he usually does, watching as Hiro sneaks into the side-room for the rest of the equipment to be placed on him, the blue-eyed boy giving him a worried smile of thanks.

And Goro thinks, maybe they can keep this up for now. Just for a while.

Until someone finds a cure for his friend.

~~_Permanence..._ ~~


	4. Chapter 4

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Hiro's condition is becoming harder and harder to hide from the others. As it eventually would have, it slips. And not even Goro can help Hiro hide from his partner. 
> 
> Zero Two is fascinated by the changes in her darling's body. While she does feel guilt over his fading humanity, she takes the time to explore some of his new physiology with him.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> here it finally is
> 
> a tad bit of a lewd chapter
> 
> it's not smut, but we're getting there
> 
> -D.P.

"Has Hiro been acting strange to you?" Zorome asks, scrubbing his back with a loofah as warm water patters against his skin and the tiled floor. 

"Huuuh? What do you mean?" Futoshi asks before sputtering, trying to wash the shampoo that got into his eyes out.

"I mean, he's been really...I dunno. Mousey? Secretive is what I mean. Always sneaking around." Zorome knocks the loofah against the wall by accident and flinches before collecting himself. "I'm telling you, it's weird. He's gone quiet. He's usually so noisy."

"I think you're talking about someone else you know," Mitsuru hums, pushing his hair back on his head, squeezing water out of it at the same time.

"Hah?! What was that?!"

The two begin bickering much to Futoshi's amusement, but Goro remains quiet, listening for the sliding sound of the automatic door behind him. After the mission, removing their suits and bathing is a normal thing, especially since they can tend to get sweaty from the stress of piloting a FRANXX. But Hiro has been slowly inching away from these normal parts of their daily lives. Almost like a testament to that, the shower to his left is still empty. Given, he knows  _why_ he's been doing it, considering his...condition. Still, with everyone in the shower, it's prime time for Hiro to sneak in. Though, to be fair to the boy, the showers are incredibly exposed, with low side walls and hazy glass doors being the only line of defense between one person's eyes and another's body. Even so, Hiro should've changed by now.

Just as he thinks so, the hears the silent sliding noise, almost undetectable under the sound of Zorome's yelling. There's a hesitation, then a hurried patter of feet as Hiro gets into the square shower beside his, shutting the hazy door and hunching his body low as he turns the water on.

Even with Goro's hazy vision, he can still see the thin, purse-lipped borderline panic on Hiro's face, and from his height and the other's hunched position, he can see the very slight pudge of the other's small breasts, Hiro's arm pressing against his chest in an attempt to hide them. Goro quickly looks away.

"Oh! Look who finally decided to join us!" Zorome teases, grinning over the shower wall at the boy trying to hide behind the walls. After all, unlike Goro, Zorome's eyes work perfectly fine without glasses. "What took you so long?"

"Ah—I was, uhm...had to..." Soapsuds were starting to create an impromptu set of clothing on Hiro's skin. "I have some stuff I have to speak with Nana about, so I was trying to make sure I had the location right...ah, but I lost—" Hiro's hand suddenly grips the shower wall shared between Goro's and his showers, a slight sliding noise accompanied by a bit of a splash and a slight crunch. "—Sorry. Sorry, I'm in a hurry today, so—"

"Geez, what's Nana got to tell you that's so important?" Zorome grumbles, but after Hiro slipped, Goro had noticed Zorome flinch. "Whatever! Just don't brain yourself, idiot."

"Yeah, yeah, okay."

Zorome pauses and stares over at Hiro, but clicks his tongue a moment later and starts using his loofah again. For a little while, there's a tense silence, only broken by running water, splashing, and the sound of Hiro's hurried scrubbing.

Even though Hiro's the last one in the room, he's the first one out. After a quick rinsing, he's holding his towel to the front of his body and, body still dripping, he quickly rushes out of his shower, heading back to the locker room to put his clothes back on. The four watch him on the way out and keep staring even as the sliding door closes.

"...Hey, is something wrong with him? He let me call him an idiot."

" _Let_ you call him one?" Mitsuru asks, raising an eyebrow.

"Well, I mean, he  _is_ one, but he's always insisting he's not," Zorome tsks.

"In a hurry to see Nana...wait, are we supposed to go see her, too?" Futoshi asks, worry clouding his voice.

"Not that I heard of, " Goro says, somehow becoming the voice of reason. "It's probably something to do with Zero Two."

"Aaaah, you're right. He's still riding with her somehow...lucky bastard."

"Hmm." Mitsuru turns his face away from Zorome.

"Yeah, that has to be it."

Goro hums and picks up his glasses, putting them under the warm water of the shower to try and rinse the fog off of them. As he does, his gaze just very briefly trails to the left, right where Hiro had grabbed. His gaze returns to his glasses a second later, but then he blinks and turns his attention more steadily on the place Hiro had grabbed.

Maybe it was just a trick of his eyes, but he could almost say the wall had been a little cracked by the boy's grip.

 

* * *

 

"So that's what they're thinking now," Goro relays, leaned back on his bed as Hiro sits in his bunk, his hands on his face. "I'm kind of impressed though. I've never seen a shower taken that quickly."

"I mean, I couldn't do anything else," Hiro groans, hands dragging down his face to his lap. "They won't..." His face starts to flush. "...stop growing."

They really haven't. Not that Goro's been particularly trying to watch, but it seems that almost day by day, Hiro's body is looking more feminine.

His hair has grown in thicker, making his head look a little more fluffy, and his body seems to be smoothing out the angles he has. With each ride he has with Zero Two, it seems he's changing bit by bit by bit. He's grown up side-by-side with Hiro since their time in the Garden, so of course he notices those changes. It makes him look younger in a way. Makes him look strange in another.

"Are the...wraps working fine? You took a while to change."

"Hmm? Oh, yeah. It's perfectly fine when not suiting up," Hiro replies, patting his currently flat chest, the bandages making it a little harder to breathe but otherwise helping him keep his current secret. "And about changing...uh...the breastplate fits...tight," Hiro confesses, scrubbing a hand through his hair. "It didn't bother me as much before, but I'm sure it'll be fine for a while longer."

Goro sighs. He knows good and well it's not 'fine'. He's seen the marks the breastplate from their plug suit has been leaving in his skin, reddened impressions seen against the small hills of his chest before he could conceal himself fully from sight. To an extent, stealing looks makes Goro feel like a pervert, but on the other hand, it's better for Hiro's physical health and his own mental health that he does.

"...When you said you needed to meet with Nana, that had been a lie, but...maybe you actually should."

"What?"

"I mean...think about it. They do scans on us every day. I'm sure they've noticed by now."

"...But they haven't brought it up," Hiro says, glaring off to the side.

"Just because they haven't brought it up yet, doesn't mean they never will. Maybe they're just waiting for you to go to them yourself."

"Why would they do that?" Hiro's glare switches to him, and Goro's tongue stills in his own mouth. "They're supposed to take care of us, apparently. If there was something wrong with me, which there is, they should've...I don't know. Taken me in already or something. So why would they wait? To force me to come to them myself?"

Goro's stricken.

The Hiro in front of them at that moment has such a vibrant look in his eyes. And he's purposefully questioning their caretakers, and by extension, questioning Papa. It's not that this is unusual for Hiro. No, he remembers hearing similar sentiments from a young Hiro back at the Garden before he disappeared for a little while. He hadn't been the same when he returned. But now, it's like he's coming back to himself.

With Hiro's body changing the way it is, it's a strange mental sensation to Goro.

Hiro seems to collect himself then, eyes dimming a little as he looks away. "Sorry...I shouldn't have said that to you. I'm not angry at you, I'm just..."

"No, no, I get it. I mean, I  _don't_ , but I do."

"Hah, yeah, I'm not sure anyone could understand this."

"Not sure that anyone could understand what?"

Hiro's about to reply, but Goro watches with a dawning horror of his own as it registers on HIro's face that that voice doesn't belong to the other male. Logically, Goro knew it would happen eventually. Two weeks since Hiro had confessed to him and Hiro hadn't been found out? No way. If anyone was going to find out sooner rather than later, it was definitely going to be her.

Their heads swivel quickly to the opening door, and just as they both feared, the first thing they register are small red horns and curiously stern turquoise eyes.

Zero Two steps in, standing firmly with her arms crossed, and glares pointedly at the two of them.

Hiro swallows thickly. "Z-Zero Two—"

"What's this that you're talking about? What is there I won't understand?" Her glare shifts away from Goro altogether, solely focused on Hiro. "Does this have something to do with why you've tasted differently?"

The boy gasps and touches his cheek, right where she's been licking him.

Goro gets to his feet, hands spread, placating. "Listen, Zero Two—"

He shuts right up when that glare focuses on him again, turquoise eyes boring holes straight into him.

"I'm not talking to you. I'm talking to  _my darling_. My darling, who despite all of his talk about wanting to know _all_ about me, is keeping _secrets_ from me."

She walks right in, brushing past Goro, who ends up falling right on his ass back onto his bed, and she takes up her cross-armed position in front of Hiro, her body blocking most of Hiro's from view.

"What's going on that you can't tell me?"

"Z...Zero Two, I...I was going to tell you later—"

"How long is later? Because you've tasted different for a little while now. And yet, instead of me, you tell  _him_ first." She points an accusing finger back at Goro, who leans away. "Not your partner.  _Him_."

"I mean...I room with him, so...I couldn't hide it from him for very long..."

"Right right right, but what about telling  _me_ _?_ You didn't even try to explain whatever's wrong with you.

"I-I just—"

"Why is that? For someone who wants me to spill my heart to you, you're being awfully secretive. There's a word for that.  _Hypocrisy_."

"Wait, Zero Two, you need to understa—" Goro tries to say, but Zero Two glares back at him, eyes bright and tinted red. He swallows thickly and curls his fingers into his bed sheets. Without a word exchanged between the two of them, she rounds back on Hiro.

"You didn't even try to explain what's going on. You just think I won't understand. Just expect me not to understand."

Goro watches as something shifts in Hiro's expression, away from worry and embarrassment towards an understanding. Something that apparently Hiro's come to be privy to that Goro doesn't know about. Whatever Hiro knows, it stops him from cowering into his bunk, shifting forward with a spark of determination in his eyes.

"No, Zero Two, I promise you it's not like that. It doesn't have to do with who Goro is. It's..."

Hiro glances past the girl to him before looking back up at her.

"...Let's go talk about it, okay? Let's go outside and talk."

Goro can't see the expression on her face, but there's a shift in her shoulders. A slight lowering. A moment later, she harrumphs and turns her head away.

"Why do you want to be in secret now? You told him already."

"Yeah but...I just...I just want to tell you alone, okay? Just the two of us. I told him alone. So I'll tell you alone, too."

Her shoulders lower back down to the normal level in a subtle movement Goro wouldn't have noticed save for the fact all he can see is her back. She breathes in deeply, then lets it out.

"...Fine." Her body turns towards the door as she begins walking out. From the corner of her eye, she shoots him a stare. There's a mix of distaste and smug in her look, like she's won something in the end, but he's not sure at all what it is. "Let's go, darling."

"Okay, okay, just, uhm, I'll get my shoes on." Hiro crawls forward on his bed hurriedly, picking up his socks and quickly stuffing his feet into them. "Give me a second."

"...One, okay! Second's up," Zero Two whines from the doorway, face scrunched in something of a pout.

Goro stares at her, shocked by the shift, before looking over to Hiro, the boy quickly putting his shoes on.

"...Hiro."

The boy glances up at him, but that's all, putting on the other shoe.

"...Hiro, wait. Are you sure you can—"

"I'll be back in a bit, Goro." Hiro slides the rest of the way off the bed, standing to his feet. His eyes swim with uncertainty, but there's resolution that Goro knows he won't be able to budge. "If something happens while we're gone, ping me, okay?"

"Isn't this kind of sudden?"

Hiro frowns just a little. "Okay?"

And just like that, Goro knows he's currently locked out for the time being. The door of association between the two had suddenly been slammed shut and covered with chains, the klaxosaur girl at the door holding the key to the padlock. Goro breaths in deeply, then sighs, head dipping. The light from the window glosses his glasses over.

"...Alright, yeah. I'll ping you."

Hiro smiles shortly.

"Thanks."

Then he's turning and walking away.

"Follow me, okay?"

"Fiiiine..."

The door shuts quietly, leaving Goro alone in the room.

 

* * *

 

Hiro walks out the house and through the surrounding forest with Zero Two following closely behind him. Usually she'd be the one leading him around, but this time, she lets her darling take the reigns. After all, he's promised to show her his secret in private, the same way he'd shown that boy. She knows he's called Goro, but right now, that name leaves a bad taste on her tongue. The way he'd looked at her all afraid...well, her darling had given her a similar look, and she'd started getting rather frustrated by it, but then something in him shifted, and suddenly he was looking at her like normal. Like she's human and not a monster. That calmed her down more than anything.

The Squad 13 members would, like everyone else, treat her the same way she's always been, but for some reason, Hiro always breaks from the mold.

After a while of walking, the two reach the very edge of the little green oasis in the midst of the vast desert outside. Hiro stands near the glass, putting a hand onto it as he looks outside. With her hands behind her back, she gazes at the vast nothingness with him. Then she hums.

"You know, I thought you were going to tell me something, but if we're just sight-seeing—"

"Zero Two..."

She pauses, looking over to the human boy. His voice sounds... A part of her wants to frown, but she tilts her head instead, gazing at the boy's cheek, his eyes shielded by his hair.

"Hmm?"

"...I just..." Hiro's fist curls on the glass. "...I want you to know. Before anything else." He turns to face her, eyes firm. "I didn't tell you first, but it's not because of your klaxosaur blood. It has nothing to do with that."

"Hmmm...then why didn't you? Since you want to know so much about  _me_ and all."

"Because..." That firmness he had melts away like thawed ice, his bit of bravado gone. "Because I..."

He bows his head.

"I...I was scared."

And he sounds and looks it, too. Hiro's fear manifests as being unable to look her straight in the eye, as his thumb nails messing with his other fingers, as a subtle smell that only she can sense among the dull-nosed humans around her.

"Not of you, but...I was scared of these changes. I mean...they're not natural. Not...not usual, like how I should be...uhm... I guess I just...I didn't want you to think I was..."

Zero Two's lower lip trembles a bit before she clenches her teeth, her lips closed, covering the action. She can finish the sentence with many words. Words that she's thought about herself. Words she continues to think about herself. Words that are starting to poke at her a bit since she was being so pushy. She was suspicious, and it led her to think Hiro was hiding from her because he thought her a monster. But instead, it had nothing to do with her at all.

Maybe if she were human already, she wouldn't think these kinds of things.

She turns her gritted teeth into a smile as she leans into the shorter boy's space, watching him blink rapidly, a little startled by her movement.

"It's alright, darling. I'm the one with klaxosaur blood. How weird could it possibly be?" She tilts her head. "Though, with body changes...is this why you taste like metamorphosis?"

"I...I taste like that? Oh. Right...you did say that before, didn't you."

She hums in agreement, touching his collarbone with the tips of her fingers. He startles and makes to move back, but he forces himself to stay still, to accept her touch.

"Yes, you taste a little...sweeter. Like you're shifting underneath your skin." She licks her lips. "It's not a bad taste. Just different. You still taste like danger regardless. So. What is it? What is the change?"

She goes to move her hand down his chest as she's done before, but to her surprise, he catches her hand quickly before it can drop lower. A part of her wants to growl and snatch her hand back, but...well, he's in a delicate situation, and she's already misunderstood him. So she's better off just waiting and listening, pushing away how hurt she'd been thinking he was avoiding her because she's the monster.

Zero Two watches as Hiro slowly lets go, backing away from her a little bit. "Uhm...it's...it's complicated but...uhm... D-Do you mind, uhm...keeping this between us and Goro? Just for now. The others I can tell later."

"Hmmm...why should I?" she asks, teasing more than anything

Hiro looks a little exasperated for a moment, but he sighs and breaths in. "I-It'll be something just between the three of us. And...and it'll give you a reason to come to my room sometimes. Goro won't complain since you're the only other one who knows so... He's keeping the secret, too."

Oh. Well. If he puts it that way. She'd love to spend more time in his room! He always has such an entertaining look on his face. That, and, despite how she messes with him, she really does care about Hiro more than these other people. Of course, he's her partner, her darling, and he looks past her horns.

She...she should really treat him a bit better.

"Alrighty~ I won't tell anyone. So, what is it?"

Hiro opens his mouth...then shuts it. He swallows thickly, then opens his mouth to try again. Moments later, it shuts without a word escaping him. The boy's eyebrows scrunch, and he looks frustrated, his irritation angled inwards at himself.

"Darling..." she says softly.

Instead of replying, he bows his head down so his bangs cover his eyes. He reaches over and takes a hold of her wrist, much softer and not forceful at all compared to when he caught her wrist before. Not that either grip could really hold her if she didn't want it to, but still. He leads her hand back to where it had been before, touching her fingertips to his collarbone again. Then he lets her go, leaving her fingers there.   
  
"Uhm...just...slide your hand down."

She hums curiously. "You let Goro do this?"

"No... Just you."

Her curious hum tilts upwards, a smile spreading on her face. Then, slowly, her fingertips begin to run down his chest. A subtle shiver trembles under his skin, sweat beading at his brow. Despite this, he keeps as still as he can manage, patiently waiting for that hand to touch where it should.  
  
Zero Two's fingers trail down from his collarbone, a small smile on her face. Then Hiro flinches at the same time she blinks, confused. Her eyes look down from his closed shut eyes to the boy's chest.  
  
"What?"

Without much thought, her hand cups around one of his breasts and squeezes a little, trying to see if she was mistaken.

" _Hha!_ W-Wait, don't!" he squeaks, slapping her hand away and covering his chest with both arms.

The boy stares at the girl, gasping deeply as she gazes wide eyed at her hand, flexing it to see if maybe she was imagining the softness she felt. When she looks up at him sharply, he stiffens like a deer in headlights. Rather, like a deer staring at a jaguar.

"...Let me see."

"Uhm..."

Before he can answer, with her accelerated speed she's up in his face, Hiro crying out, startled. A mere shift of their weight together, and they're falling to the ground, the grass cushioning Hiro's back as Zero Two's hands push down on his shoulders.

"W-Wait!"

"C'mon, show me!"

"Zero Two—"

He gasps as her hands grab the zipper to his clothes and starts pulling down. His hands scramble up and hold onto her arms. "J-Just wait a second! This is..." His eyes open wide, staring down at her hands. His vision spins dangerously. "This is too...too fast, w-wait..."

Her hands pause then, fingers clenched into his clothes.

She has to see. She must see what's happening to him.

Because she can almost fully guarantee that it's her fault.

No stamen has survived more than three rides with her. There has to be a reason for it, right? And yet, Hiro has, and now...

Hiro's hands shake as they cling to her arms, breathing heavy with a cloying clench on his heart. His grip feels stronger than before, stronger than what she's felt from him before. Maybe it's the fear. Maybe it's something else. She's not sure.

"Can I see now?"

The boy gasps dimly, fingers clinging tightly.

"Hey..." Zero Two leans him back onto the grass, her hair creating a curtain over their faces. She sees the way Hiro's eyes are dilated with fear, anxiety, a mix of desperation to spinning it all together. She knows the look well. Seen it in herself when she looks into the mirror sometimes. "Darling... Look at me. Truly look at me."

It takes some effort, and a lot of stabilizing on Hiro's part, but eventually the boy is gazing up at her with only a fraction of the dazed glaze his eyes had taken when he fell into a panic just a few moments before. Zero Two leans her head down closer.

"Can I touch you now? Can I see you now?"

Usually, she wouldn't ask. She doesn't ask for much of anything. But this, right here, right now, needs patience. Needs trust. She's not used to giving or receiving it, but she has to try right now. For darling's sake.

And it works. After a bit more breathing, a bit more of his eyes searching hers, his fingers get loose on her arms, though they don't let go. His eyes shut as his face flushes, but he is no longer trying to stop her.

Zero Two smiles, then she slowly unzips the rest of the top, peeling it open until Hiro shivers, eyes shutting tighter. 

Below some medical wraps are two small breasts, the soft fat of the skin just barely qualifying as A cups. His nipples are covered by the cloth, but he can't hide that he has breasts without the rest of his clothes on. Zero Two stares at them, noting how the wraps just barely cover the scar on the left side of his chest, right where...right where the tumor had been.

It had disappeared after the end of the third ride. She's still not sure what happened to it.

But with this new development...well...she has some ideas, maybe.

Either way, she's almost certain that this is her fault.

"...Hmmm...looks like breasts to me."

Hiro's face flushes further. "Th...they...they are."

"Hmmm..." She reaches down and, with the same hand as before, squeezes Hiro's left breast.

The boy squeaks but grits his teeth a moment later. "D-Don't...don't do that..."

"Why not?" she asks, her hand rubbing over the wraps and the soft flesh below it.

"B...Because. It's...it's weird. I..."

"What's so weird about it? Girls have these," Zero Two says.

"T-That's what's weird! Girls have them! I'm not a girl! So— _hnnnh_..." Hiro shivers, his face flushing bright red. "...p-please stop doing that."

"Hmm..." The pink-haired girl leans in towards his face, Hiro's short hair splayed in the grass behind his head. She leans in then, and licks at the skin near the corner of his eye, the boy gasping a little as she does before she pulls back, licking her lips at the boy. "...Yes, you taste a little different, but you still taste like danger." She finally lets go of his chest and his clothes, leaning back so she's not so towered over him, putting her hands on her hips. "You can still pilot a FRANXX, yes?"

"Uhm...uh...yeah."

"Then, shouldn't that settle it?" 

She sets her hands on the boy's knees, her body between his legs, and she grins down at the still splayed human.

"As long as we can fly together, as long as you don't lose the taste of danger, aren't you just you?"

Hiro stares up at her, the backs of his hands in the grass to the sides of his head. "It...it can't be that simple."

"Why can't it be?"

"Because...because it never is. Being a man is...it's...it's not what  _this_ is." He shifts, and his chest barely moves, just barely.

"Why not?"

"Because, stamen have certain body parts and pistils have another set...right? At least that's what I know."

Zero Two's teeth clench a little harder than intended, but she conceals it.

He...he doesn't know what he's saying. He doesn't know who he's talking to. It's fine. Hiro means nothing by it.

Besides, even if he did...he just doesn't know. He doesn't know a lot about the world. And it doesn't really matter whether he does or not. He's her darling, but most importantly, he's her pilot. And he can still do that.

She's a monster, and maybe Hiro's starting to turn into one. But regardless, as long as she can kill klaxosaurs, her dream will be realized. 

"Hmmm...maybe you're right about that." Zero Two tilts her head. "But you can still pilot, so I guess that means you're still a stamen, then. Don't you think?"

Hiro lays there for a moment before he looks off to the side. "Well...maybe."

"Then isn't that good enough for now? So what weird stuff is happening? You can figure that out later. But for now, you still taste like you, and you can do the thing that only you can do—ride with me." Zero Two stands to her feet in a smooth movement, and Hiro scrambles a little to at least sit up on his elbows. She grins and reaches a hand down to him. "You're still my Darling. That's all that matters to me."

The boy's eyes widen before his mouth shuts in something of a wobbling attempt of a smile. 

"...Is...is that so."

"Yup~!"

He can't help it. Rather, he maybe needs it from the look of it. Zero Two watches as his mouth opens and a little laugh comes out. It makes his face brighten, some of his stress falling off of him. There's still a lot left, of course, but still, he's doing the best as he can with what he knows. She usually wouldn't care so much, but, well...he's the reason she can continue to fight. Continue to find her way to becoming human.

And if that means finding out how to turn someone back into a human, she'll do that, too.

Hiro takes her hand, and she very easily pulls him to his feet. The boy stumbles a little, but catches his footing, still laughing just a bit. As she watches him move, her eyes trail down his body again, cataloging all of the little differences she can notice now that she's really looking for them. The thickening of his hair, the smoothing out of his shoulders and body, the softening of his facial features. They're all little subtle ticks that are slowly adding up, as Hiro has noticed himself, but...

Nothing she can do about it for now. Whatever it is, it'll have to wait. And as long as Hiro can pilot, maybe it doesn't really matter too much in the end.

But, anyway, in her curiosity, she began thinking about one last thing. If Hiro's changing then...

"Hey, darling. Do you still have 'it'?"

Hiro's little giggles die out, and he looks at Zero Two, confused. "'It'?"

"You know. 'It'."

Hiro frowns up just a little bit. After a moment of thinking, Hiro gasps. His face starts flushing bright pink, his mouth opening.

"Ah...I mean...uhm...y-yeah, I still...I'm still, uhm...y...yes. I do."

Zero Two doesn't blink. "Show me."

"T-There's no way I can do that!" Hiro fusses immediately, starting to zip his suit back up as she laughs. "No way!"

"Well, you can. You just have to—"

"No!"

Zero Two grins mischievously, holding onto her hand by the wrist behind her own back, leaning into Hiro's space. "It's not like I haven't seen it before, like that time in the bath—"

Hiro's eyes shut tight, his face red. "Absolutely not!"

Zero Two laughs mischievously, then she lunges at him. To her surprise, Hiro gasps and dodges out the way. Grinning, she keeps trying to catch him, and he stumbles out of the way, saying no over and over again. But as they keep up their game of cat and mouse, his "no's" get broken up with his laughter. He clings tightly to his clothes, like they'd fall open without his hands on them, but he's smiling. He's happy for the moment.

So, with him distracted as he is, he doesn't notice the way his voice tilts upwards more than it usually would.

But that's a secret Zero Two will keep to herself for the time being.

 


End file.
